In his last season with the Silver Arrows before his move to Ferrari next year, Hamilton retired from the Australian Grand Prix due to a sudden failure in his power unit, which was later determined to be irreparable. The Mercedes driver has achieved victory in Japan on five occasions.
During a press conference at the Suzuka circuit on Friday, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff expressed his disappointment, stating, “That one is for the bin. It is an extremely rare hardware failure that we did not anticipate.”
Wolff also mentioned the possibility of needing another power unit depending on how the season progresses. He stated, “Whether we require an additional unit or not remains uncertain at this stage.”
The other Mercedes driver, George Russell, crashed in Melbourne, resulting in both Mercedes drivers failing to finish a race for the first time in five years.
Hamilton, who finished third in the 2023 F1 drivers’ standings behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, is currently struggling in 10th place this season. During the first practice session at Suzuka, he finished in fifth place, approximately half a second behind Verstappen.
While it is not uncommon for drivers to face penalties for exceeding engine quotas, losing a power unit so early in the 24-race F1 calendar raises concerns about Mercedes’ reliability issues in recent seasons.
After the rain-affected FP2 session at Suzuka, Hamilton remained optimistic, stating, “FP1 was a fantastic session for us. It was the best session we’ve had this year, and the car felt great. I was feeling positive and excited heading into FP2, as this circuit is loved by every driver.”
Hamilton acknowledged the challenges they faced in the past at Suzuka but noted the improvements made by the team since Australia. He said, “The car was definitely performing better. We have a stronger starting point this weekend, and hopefully, we can build upon that.”
As Hamilton’s final year with Mercedes proves to be his worst, his move to Ferrari in 2025 appears to be well-timed. The team has shown promising performance with Carlos Sainz winning in Australia and being closer to the pace-setting Red Bulls compared to the previous season. They are also ahead of Mercedes in the current F1 hierarchy, which bodes well for Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari.